The OER Knowledge Cloud makes use of cookies. By continuing, you consent to this use. More information.
Deconstructing disengagement: analyzing learner subpopulations in massive open online courses
Kizilcec, René F. · Piech, Chris · Schneider, Emily

PublishedApril 2013
ConferenceLAK '13: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge
Pages 170-179
CountryUnited States, North America

ABSTRACT
As MOOCs grow in popularity, the relatively low completion rates of learners has been a central criticism. This focus on completion rates, however, reflects a monolithic view of disengagement that does not allow MOOC designers to target interventions or develop adaptive course features for particular subpopulations of learners. To address this, we present a simple, scalable, and informative classification method that identifies a small number of longitudinal engagement trajectories in MOOCs. Learners are classified based on their patterns of interaction with video lectures and assessments, the primary features of most MOOCs to date.

In an analysis of three computer science MOOCs, the classifier consistently identifies four prototypical trajectories of engagement. The most notable of these is the learners who stay engaged through the course without taking assessments. These trajectories are also a useful framework for the comparison of learner engagement between different course structures or instructional approaches. We compare learners in each trajectory and course across demographics, forum participation, video access, and reports of overall experience. These results inform a discussion of future interventions, research, and design directions for MOOCs. Potential improvements to the classification mechanism are also discussed, including the introduction of more fine-grained analytics.

Keywords MOOC · learner engagement · trajectories of engagement

Published atCalifornia
LanguageEnglish
RefereedYes
DOI10.1145/2460296.2460330
Export optionsBibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar


Viewed by 616 distinct readers




CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.

Click a star to be the first to rate this document


POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS

Digging deeper into learners' experiences in MOOCs: Participation in social networks outside of MOOCs, notetaking and contexts surrounding content consumption
Veletsianos, George; Collier, Amy; Schneider, Emily
Researchers describe with increasing confidence what they observe participants doing in massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, our understanding of learner activities in open courses is limited by researchers' ...
Match: Schneider, Emily

MOOCs for professional teacher development
Jobe, William; Östlund, Christian; Svensson, Lars
A MOOC is a trending concept in education that is disrupting traditional methods of learning consumption. The emergence and use of MOOCs for professional teacher development is still uncommon, but on the verge of ...
Match: MOOC; United States

Top ed-tech trends of 2013: MOOCs and anti-MOOCs
Watters, Audrey
Barely a week has gone by this year without some MOOC-related news. Much like last year, massive open online courses have dominated ed-tech conversations. But if 2012 was, as The New York Times decreed, the year of the ...
Match: MOOC

Skill development through MOOC for inclusive and sustainable development: A review of policies in the Asian Commonwealth countries
Gaba, Ashok K; Mishra, Sanjaya
Economic growth of the Commonwealth countries in Asia depends on productivity and the availability of the skilled human resources. About 70 per cent of the Commonwealth’s two billion citizens belong to South Asia. ...
Match: MOOC

An examination of anxiety towards a MOOC educational approach: The case of the MOOC of the Alhambra
Romero-Frías, Esteban; Arquero, Jose L.; Del Barrio-García, Salvador; Ubachs, George; Konings, Lizzie
Overview of papers on enhancement of European Higher Education as presented during the Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference in Rome, October 2016 MOOCs, one of the main innovations in digital education ...
Match: MOOC

The maturing of the MOOC: Literature review of Massive Open Online Courses and other forms of online distance learning
Haggard, Stephen; The Centre for Distance Education (CDE); The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE)
Executive Summary This survey of MOOC and ODL literature aims to capture the state of knowledge and opinion about MOOCs and ODL, how they are evolving, and to identify issues that are important, whether consensual or ...
Match: MOOC

The Open Translation MOOC: Creating online communities to transcend linguistic barriers
Beaven, Tita; Comas-Quinn, Anna; Hauck, Mirjam; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Lewis, Timothy
One of the main barriers to the reuse of Open Educational Resources (OER) is language (OLnet, 2009). OER may be available but in a language that users cannot access, so a preliminary step to reuse is their translation ...
Match: MOOC

Who are the open learners? A comparative study profiling non-formal users of open educational resources
Weller, Martin; Farrow, Robert; de los Arcos, Beatriz; Pitt, Rebecca
Open educational resources (OER) have been identified as having the potential to extend opportunities for learning to non-formal learners. However, little research has been conducted into the impact of OER on non-formal ...
Match: MOOC

In the year of disruptive education
Hyman, Paul
As college tuitions soar, various online models vie to educate college students worldwide---at no cost.
Match: MOOC

Massive open online courses: A traditional or transformative approach to learning
Vale, Katie; Littlejohn, Allison; Littlejohn, Allison; Pegler, Chris
This chapter examines potential benefits and limitations of MOOCs, using a case example of a major MOOC initiative:edX. This chapter begins by examining conflicting perspectives around MOOCs from the literature. Then ...
Match: MOOC